Thoughts on Drawing

  Growing up, making art was something I did almost exclusively with my dad. He is a painter (by profession now that he's quit his job to pursue it full time) and he always encouraged me to follow suit. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no clue how to paint things. He has tried to teach me watercolor a few times, but I like the idea of oil paints better I think. Anyway, that is a journey for another time. The point is that while I did not take to painting, I eventually developed an appreciation for sketching.

  I was always frustrated by how long it took to produce something I was satisfied with, so this was not an every day thing. In fact, it was mostly only around gift-giving opportunities, because there was nothing my dad wanted more than original art. On those occasions I didn't mind spending the time; it felt good to make him happy. But I still didn't have a passion for drawing on my own. 

  I don't know if you can create such a passion out of willpower, but I decided more practice could be a good start. I really wanted to improve my drawing abilities so that it would be less frustrating, but that takes practice, which is the frustrating part! It's a loop that doesn't end in more artwork. So I decided that if I signed up for a drawing class it would force me to practice, and by the end I would hopefully have improved and be able to enjoy making art more. 

  I think it has been mostly successful. I have definitely produced quite a few sketches this semester, which makes me happy. And I have been sending pictures to my dad each week so he's thrilled. I know still have a long, long way to go, but I do think I have improved slightly. Learning about line values and shading and other things from each week's lesson were definitely helpful. I tried to incorporate those new skills and I think they helped make my drawings more realistic, which has always been the goal. Overall I am very glad I took the class. It reminded me that I do actually enjoy producing artwork even when it isn't intended for anyone, and it has motivated me to continue practicing in the future. So thank you for that! :)